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International Mediation Developments (7/13/10)
Keith Seat
This article, by Mediation News Editor, Keith Seat, summarizes recent International developments in the world of mediation.

Mediation As Problem-Solving (7/12/10)
Larry Susskind
The Organizational for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is trying to hold multinational corporations to appropriately high standards of corporate social responsibility. OECD member states include thirty of the major economies of the world. Ten years ago, they adopted guidelines regarding human rights, environmental protection, the rights of workers and child protection. Now they are in the throes of a ten year review.

No Risk? No Hope Then Either (7/05/10)
Ronald S. Kraybill
I witnessed with alarm a recent ruling of the US Supreme Court regarding the U.S. PATRIOT Act. This Act makes it illegal to give support of any kind to groups listed by the US government as terrorist groups, even if the support is designed to end violence.

What If There Had Been A Good Peacemaker? (7/05/10)
Phyllis Pollack
In truth, by the time this Declaration of Independence was adopted, the relationship between the thirteen colonies and George III had deteriorated beyond repair and to an all time low. In fact, the first battle of the Revolutionary War occurred at Lexington and Concord in April 1775 or more than a year before the colonies adopted this Declaration of Independence. But, what if a really good peacemaker (aka an ADR professional) had been invited to the table to mediate the dispute between the thirteen colonies and George III before the relationship was beyond repair, let’s say in 1763 when the dispute first arose?

Peter Adler: Background of Ho'oponopono - Video (7/02/10)
Peter Adler
Peter Adler describes the meaning of "Ho'oponopono," the practice in native Hawaiian culture that helps to restore harmony and normality among family members, extended families.

Competition, Collaboration and Integrity at the World Cup – A Missed Opportunity? (6/30/10)
James Melamed
As a former soccer player and professional mediator, I now think about the World Cup and soccer in terms of how we interrelate as human beings, focusing on issues of competition, collaboration and integrity. There are many lessons to be learned and a very special opportunity at risk of being missed.

Mediation and Negotiation Are Designated As Criminal Acts: Maybe It’s For the Better (6/22/10)
r.d. benjamin
Should you be a private consultant or working for an NGO, e.g., Mediators Without Borders, Mercy Corps, or the Red Cross, who might dare to meet with, provide training in mediation, or suggest negotiation strategies that might encourage a nonviolent approach to any “designated” foreign “terrorist” organization, you can now be charged with the crime of “material support” in violation of the Federal Patriot Act of 2001.

Failure To Negotiate Leads To Unilateral Acts (6/07/10)
Giorgi Narmania
The purpose of this article is to discuss international engagement in the negotiation process between Serbia and Kosovo from the beginning of the conflict until the unilateral declaration.

New Idea For Conflict Resolution? (5/31/10)
Jeff Thompson
Called "PAX", the idea is to gather SMS, images and video from the general public in areas of conflict (in the style of FrontlineSMS and Ushahidi), and combine that with satellite imagery to form a massive open database that could be accessed to help pressure key governments and others into preventative action.

Michael Lewis: Disappointment in Field - Video (5/15/10)
Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis says his biggest disappointment is that mediation has had a very limited reach, proven by world-influencing events like the war in Iraq.

Nina Meierding: Cultural Sensitivity while Training - Video (5/07/10)
Nina Meierding
Nina Meierding discusses her approach to mediation training in other countries. This involves being culturally sensitive, not imposing the Western model as it may not be useful for other cultures and their ways of problem-solving.

Adoption of Mediation Being Considered by Russian Parliament (4/20/10)
Keith Seat

Detailed proposed regulations to establish mediation as a dispute resolution procedure were introduced in the Russian Parliament in March. Mediation has not previously been a part of Russian law. The proposed regulations would rely on voluntary mediation between parties to a dispute and would provide for confidentiality of the process. The regulations would also establish quality standards for mediation services and some integration of mediation with arbitration and litigation.

Mondaq.com (March 22, 2010) (Registration Required)

John Paul Lederach: Conflict Management in Other Countries - Video (4/16/10)
John Paul Lederach
John Paul Lederach continues to describe in detail how he observed partiality as a resource, not an obstacle in Latin America and the Middle East. Partiality meant being part of the network, being an insider, and someone to be trusted.

International Mediation Developments (3/29/10)
Keith Seat
Here is an update on international mediation developments by Mediate.com News Editor, Keith Seat.

Andrew Schepard: Aborigine Model Processes for Handling Child Neglect/Abuse - Video (3/16/10)
Andrew Schepard
Andrew Schepard describes how Aboriginal tribes have an optimal process of dealing with child neglect and/or abuse. If abuse is reported, a family group conference may be called; they have the choice of opting out of the coercive court system, which he sees as a model approach.

Robert Mnookin: Local Politics Often Lie Behind Geopolitical Negotiations - Video (3/07/10)
Robert Mnookin
Robert Mnookin discusses how international negotiators are commonly domestic politicians with a concern about domestic stakeholders and conflicts 'behind the table."

The Opportunity Of Climate Change - Yes, Of Course We Can (3/01/10)
Eileen Barker
I attended COP15 as a delegate from Mediators Beyond Borders (MBB), an international group of mediators from over 20 countries. We were there to advocate for the use of mediation and other collaborative processes in climate change negotiations and disputes.

International Commercial Mediation: Only Lip Service? (2/22/10)
Victoria VanBuren
Karl came across this interesting comment by Jose Antonio Garcia Alvaro, posted at the ADR Resources Dispute Resolution and Mediation LinkedIn Group.

Pluralism And Posterity: Extricating The Positives And Negatives Of Group Identity Through The Writing Of Amartya Sen And David Brooks (2/15/10)
Michael Cohen
In a post-9/11 world in which the struggle against Islamic extremism represents the centerpiece of American foreign policy; in which the front-page news is bombarded with daily images of the skull-shattering destruction wrought by suicide bombings across the Middle East; in which the international community is scrambling to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of the Supreme Leader of Iran who has vowed to wipe entire countries off of the map and who believes he was personally appointed by God (a troubling combination to say the least), much ink has been spilled over the question of whether Samuel P. Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” is here to stay.

Mestizaje As Strength: Articulating Plurality Within Group Identities (2/15/10)
Jeff Stoesz
We are all involved in a variety of people groups that define our identity and relationships to people of other groups. Group identity can be an incredibly strong tie between people or it can be relatively weak. Certain groups - such as the KKK, minority student unions or the black population in the US - have historically expressed group identity in both positive and negative ways. The key to healthy group identity expression is found in an understanding of the plurality of our identities, particularly the concept of mestizaje and the mixing or blending of group allegiances.

Storytelling (2/15/10)
Caleb Paul Mechem
A primary way that stories play a role in the formation of collective identity, whether national, familial, or religious, is myths. By “myth” I do not mean something inherently false, but rather a foundational story that is set in the distant past. The historical accuracy of myths is less important than the fact that they link the existence of a group to that past. The examples of the bonding power of myths are nigh endless and a nation, family, or religion without them is inconceivable.

International: More On Hong Kong’s New Mediation Procedure (2/08/10)
Victoria VanBuren
To follow up on our earlier post, here are more details about Hong Kong’s mediation initiative:

Mediation In Romania (1/31/10)
Zeno Daniel Sustac, Elena Bustea
Custom is a second human nature and the Romanian justiciable has inoculated itself for years the concept that any misunderstanding should be resolved in a court of law. However, the opinion of the Romanian justiciable is about to change, due to mediation.

International Mediation Developments (1/26/10)
Keith Seat
Here are a number of recent international mediation developments from Keith Seat, Editor of Mediate.com's Mediation News. Mediation clearly has become a global phenomenon.

Mediation: Staying Culturally Relevant In A Multicultural World (1/19/10)
Nina Meierding
Many mediators have been trained solely in a Western-style model of mediation with Western-style tools in their “toolboxes.” Even the theoretical constructs of ADR often reflect a Western model that is not always respectful of culturally diverse concepts. While using Western techniques does not inherently mean that the interventions will not be successful, it does mean that they are less culturally sensitive. Internationally, it may also be seen as the United States bringing its process to another country that already has had its own conflict resolution processes in place for generations.